My Partner, Best Friend and Wife
by GirlWednesday
Summary: It all started with a phone call. Dixie/Jeff.


**A/N: Ok so inspiration came for this from tonight's episode of casualty and a Youtube video of the episode before Jeff's first episode.**

**So Jeff first appeared in series 21 episode 25 but we first heard his voice in series 21 episode 24 when Dixie phoned him up. So I thought to myself what would it have been like if they showed it from Jeff's point of view.**

**So the part that is in italics will be my interpretation and has been based off No Return, series 21 episode 24.**

**The bits that aren't are based on: All In A Day's nightmare, Series 26 episode 37**

"Right where is she?"

Jeff Collier had no patience. He had had a long shift and was ready to go home ,the only problem was his wife who had the car keys was nowhere to be seen.

He laughed to himself. It seemed ironic that throughout the day she was never out of his eye's view but now when he really wanted her to be there, she was nowhere to be seen.

He searched the staffroom and the ambulance bay yet she was nowhere in sight.

The last time he had seen her was just over an hour ago, when they explained DCI Rippon what they had witnessed in the warehouse.

Thankfully they had both agreed on their points of view, it was best that way.

He exited the ambulance bay and made his way over to the main building.

Well if she wasn't there he would be walking home and that was an idea he wasn't exactly keen on.

He paused just outside the door. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of the police man from earlier.

His shoulders were slumped and he had his head buried in his hands.

He took a step forward, this man had lied to make himself look good, why should he care what was wrong with him?

A muffled sob came from the man causing Jeff to pause once more.

He sighed to himself, he may be many things but he wasn't heartless.

"Ay c'mon me old son, your partner would want you like this, would she?"

Stunned he suddenly looked up, frantically wiping away the tell tale tears.

"Thanks for all your help earlier, you really helped her." He replied getting to his feet.

Jeff made his way over and took a seat on the bench, before gesturing for him to sit back down.

"Come and sit down."

He looked doubtful for a moment glancing back at the building, his partner was in surgery at that moment and he felt helpless.

He slowly lowered himself back down and stared off into the distance.

"She's so ill."

"I know mate, I know."

"She was my second in command, she has been by my side for years and I was so determined to prove myself, I endangered her."

Jeff merely nodded, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He couldn't put a positive spin on this nor could he tell him that it wasn't his best he could do was be understanding and not judge.

"Why didn't I call for back up? She was right."

"There's no point going over the what ifs."

"It's just we've worked together for so long and its got to a stage where we're both just so stubborn and when we disagree neither of us will back down."

"Now that I understand."

"Yeah?"

"That blonde bird that treated you, she's not just my partner she's also my best mate."

The man nodded in agreement, blinking back the tears that threatened to surface.

"You seemed close."

"Well we ought to be, we also live together and let me you that is no easy task."

"Then why do it?"

This had thrown him, his colleagues had never questioned it before, they could all see for themselves that despite the unconventionality of it, they worked perfectly.

He didn't put too much thought into it, he just said the first thing that popped into his head.

"Well you know how the old saying goes. Can't live with them, can't live without them."

He relaxed into a laugh, the tension lifting a little.

"You know I've been on the force for years but it's funny, I can barely remember a time before her."

Jeff considered this for a few moments. That wasn't the case for him he could remember his life clearly, an unhappy marriage with constant cheating on both sides.

He could still remember the first time he ever heard her voice and how at the time how oblivious he was as to how much the woman on the other end would change his life.

"Now it's funny you should say that." He smiled, a fond look present in his blue eyes.

_Flashback._

_Jeff Collier pulled up outside his house. He had his story straight, one of his cousins was ill, he had visited them, and then fallen asleep on their sofa._

"_Right me old son, get in there."_

_He pushed open his car door and crept up the garden path, his new job started tomorrow and he was less than keen._

_He reached out towards the door handle, he was barely over the threshold when his two kids excitedly ran up to him, wrapping their small arms around his waist._

_A wide smile came across his face, John and Sophia always knew how to make him happy._

"_Hey you."_

_He ruffled John's hair and scooped Sophia up into his arms giving her a light kiss on the head._

_The stern voice of his wife came from the top if the stairs causing him to look up._

"_Kids we've got to get to school."_

_Jeff looked at her face, he wasn't going to come up with an excuse. It was clear she knew what he had been up to. She didn't trust him and she had every right not to._

_He would be the first to admit that he was out of control with his lies and deceit. He wasn't entirely sure when he first started having extra marital sex on the sly. All he knew was that he got a buzz from it._

_The guilt was made bearable by the fact he knew she had been up to it as well. He didn't confront her though, when it came to morals he didn't have a leg to stand on._

_He placed Sophia down and diverted his eyes to the ground to avoid Lucy's icy glare._

"_C'mon kids do as your mum says."_

_Picking up on the tense atmosphere John and Sophia hurriedly picked up their lunch boxes and made their way out to the car._

_There was a painfully long silence as Jeff and Lucy stood a good distance apart from one another._

"_The widow sills need painting." She mumbled breaking the silence._

"_Yeah, I'll do it now."_

_She picked up the can of paint that she had placed at the bottom of the stairs and thrust it at him as she headed towards the front door._

_She paused._

"_It sounds to me like a guilty conscience is talking."_

"_Luce, I..."_

_She cut him off mid sentence._

"_Save it Jeff."_

_With that she slammed the door leaving him alone in the empty house._

_He exhaled loudly, staring down at the can of paint._

"_Right window sills."_

_After searching for the ladder and struggling to prise the lid off the can, he was up the ladder paintbrush in hand and deep in thought._

_He had been transferred to Holby city emergency department and was pondering what it would be like. He doubted he would be thrilled, it seemed nothing special from what he had heard._

_He had told himself no matter how crap it got, it wouldn't be as miserable as his failing marriage._

_His prominent ring tone cut through the atmosphere and abruptly broke his trail of thoughts._

_The caller I.D showed up as the one of the hospital it was his new supervisor. He hadn't met them before but he had heard that it would be a woman._

"_Hello, Jeff here."_

"_Jeff hiya it's Dixie." _

_He noted how she had a northern accent._

"_I'm just having a look at the rota and you're due to be starting your first shift today."_

_Now that was wrong. He was one hundred percent certain that his shift wasn't until tomorrow._

"_Well that's interesting love but at the moment I'm up a ladder with a can of paint." He laughed._

_He heard the rustling of papers down the other end of the phone, she must've been double checking_

"_Sorry that's my mistake, we said you'd start tomorrow didn't we?"_

"_Yeap, I'll see you in the morning then princess."_

"_Yeah ta ta."_

_He pressed the end call button and placed the phone back in the pocket._

"_Daft cow." He muttered turning his attention back to the window sill._

He pulled himself out of the story and turned to face the other man, who hadn't quite understood his intentions.

"So what did it mean?"

"Truthfully?"

He slowly nodded.

"At the time, absolutely nothing."

A female voice from behind him threw him off guard.

"And now?"

Turning his face he was met by Dixie.

"How long have you been stood there?"

"I came out at the part where Lucy made you paint the windows."

"So you know that I was..."

"Talking about our first conversation?"

"And you heard me call you..."

"A daft cow?"

The police man stood up, looking slightly awkward.

"Maybe I should leave the two of you to it."

"No stick around lets hear how he'll explain this one."

Jeff rolled his eyes.

"Explain what? I was only telling him about how we first spoke to each other."

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes in annoyance.

"And how it meant nothing?"

"Well at the time, you were just a voice on the other end of the blower."

"Keep talking." She prompted her voice cold.

"But now... "He paused slightly embarrassed "It means everything."

She looked down trying to hide the smile of delight that was forming.

He looked back over to the other man.

"Listen Dix, he doesn't know if his partner will make it or not."

He broke his silence and walked over so he was stood next to her.

"What he is trying to say is, after all that's happened it's made him think about his own partner."

He looked over at Jeff for confirmation.

He smiled before bringing his gaze back to his wife.

"I couldn't be without you, ya daft cow."

"Second time in two minutes you've called me that, you're on a roll."

Once more the police man spoke up.

"I'm off to be with my partner, you can argue this between each other just don't waste too much time."

He gave them a wink and a knowing nod before making his way back inside.

There was a small silence as the two tried to work out what could be said.

"What I'm trying to say is.."

"Don't get like this Jeffrey, you can show your appreciation without being soppy."

"Pint and a takeaway?"

"You're on."

Making her way to the car she turned to face him once more.

"So your first impressions were that I was a daft cow?"

"Don't hold it against me, I'm more faithful to you than I ever was to Lucy."

"We're in an open marriage you fool, you could sleep with any woman you wanted."

"But I don't."

"Yeah because you can't, you lost your appeal mate."

"I hate to break it to you princess but you aint exactly God's gift to women either."

"That's the bitterness talking."

The debate continued, both of them so distracted by wanting to win the argument, neither had noticed that they had joined hand in hand.


End file.
